Another celebrity has been named as Simon Cowell's temporary replacement on the "America's Got Talent" judging panel as he continues to recover from surgery.
USA TODAY can exclusively reveal that Heidi Klum will be returning to "AGT" to fill Cowell's seat as a guest judge on the Sept. 8 show.
Klum, 53, is no stranger to the NBC talent competition show. She first joined the judges' panel in 2013 for Season 8 and remained at the desk until Season 13 in 2018. After stepping away from the show for Season 14, the model quickly returned for the 15th season in 2020 and remained as a judge until Season 19 in 2024.
That year, Klum went out with a bang, winning the competition with her Golden Buzzer act, singing janitor Richard Goodall. She then departed
the show at the end of the season, with Mel B replacing her at the judging panel.
Klum's appearance isn't the only big shakeup for the talent competition show next week. Instead of airing two back-to-back episodes on Tuesday and Wednesday, "AGT" will be airing a special three-hour live show on Tuesday, Sept. 8 due to the NFL season opener game airing on Wednesday, Sept. 9.
The Sept. 8 episode will feature two hours of performances followed by an one-hour results show. That evening, the vote will be open for the duration of the two-hour performance window, with voting closing at 10:05 p.m. ET/7:05pm PT. The results will then be turned around for the third hour results reveal show.
Klum is the second judge to take over Cowell's seat after it was confirmed that he will be absent from the "AGT" live shows for several weeks as he undergoes a routine back surgery.
"He's having an operation that cannot be postponed," host Terry Crews explained during the Aug. 25 episode after pointing out that Cowell's seat at the judge's table was empty. "It's not an emergency, but it can't be put off. Simon, we are sending you our very best wishes for a speedy recovery, and we're looking forward to seeing you back at the judges desk very soon."
"Saturday Night Live" star Kenan Thompson was the first guest judge to fill his seat, joining the show for the Sept. 1 episode. USA TODAY has learned that "AGT" is taking it one week at a time when it comes to booking additional guest judges.
"America's Got Talent" returned for its 21st season on June 2, and its finale is scheduled to air on NBC on Sept. 23. Howie Mandel, Sofía Vergara and Mel B also serve as judges on the show, which is hosted by Crews.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'America's Got Talent' sets next temp replacement for Simon Cowell | Exclusive
